GOA – Travel Tales

Last month, me and my husband decided to take some time off work and planned a four-day trip to Goa.

Why Goa? Because its the best holiday destination in the country. Moreover, I love beaches and having moved to Delhi, I hardly get to see the coast. 😦

Although I’ve been to Goa a number of times (previously with friends), it was only this time I felt the beauty of this place since I had my husband beside me. Relaxation was our key aim and thats what we achieved!

Let me share everything that we did in Goa 🙂

Day 1:

For the first two days, we had booked Radisson Hotel, Candolim for our stay. Its a beautiful property, located in the heart of North Goa. The best thing about the hotel was definitely its location and service!

We hired a car the same day in the morning for four days which costed us around 4000 which I felt was a good bargain. When in Goa, avoid cabs and instead, rent bikes or cars. That comes out to be way cheaper!

Post breakfast, we decided to go to Morjim beach as it is one of the most peaceful beaches in Goa and also, my favourite.

And the food here was delicious! Try Planet Bollywood shack for its fish and believe me, you’ll fall in love.

By far, Morjim is one of the cleanest and most serene beaches in Goa.

After spending a few hours here, we headed back to our hotel to rest and freshen up. There we took a dip in the pool and had a coffee date poolside. 😀

In the evening, we got dressed and left for dinner. I had been wanting to check out this new restaurant called Thalassa for a very long time but just didn’t get the opportunity so finally we decided to go there. Its located at Small Vagator, Ozran.

Thalassa offers one of the most breathtaking sunset views in Goa with a fabulous evening ambience. Styled completely in white, it is set upon a high cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea.

I highly recommend a visit to this place, not only for the food and ambience but also for the music and live performances that are held every evening.

Before calling it a night, we went to Tito’s (Baga) for a few drinks and relived old times.

Day 2:

So the next day after breakfast, we planned our journey to Palolem beach. It was approximately 80-85 kms away from where we were staying.

Yes, its far!

Why Palolem? Because again it is one of the best beaches I’ve seen in Goa. When I had visited it 5 years back, I thought it was beautiful and had decided to visit it again someday but due to its faraway location, I had to skip it during my previous trips.

On arriving at the beach, we sat for lunch at one of the shacks and ordered some food and beer.

Honestly, the long drive was worth it!

If you’ve been to Palolem, you guys must be knowing that you can take a boat from here to Butterfly island and Honeymoon island and also see dolphins on the way.

So post lunch, we decided to go to Butterfly island which is called so because of its shape. Yes, it looks like a Butterfly if you see carefully. It is secluded with not many people and almost feels like having an entire island to yourself. We stayed here for good 20 minutes: had beer, clicked pictures, played with water and sand and admired the beauty of nature.

I think this was the most memorable thing that we did on this trip. It was an amazing and enjoyable experience in itself.

After that we drove back, shopped a little on our way and on returning to the hotel, dozed off for a while.

In the evening, we got ready and left for St. Anthonys’ Karaoke Bar & Restaurant. It is located in Baga, right next to Brittos.

Anthonys’ is yet another place that you should try out on your trip to Goa. Their Karaokes are fun and food delectable.

We drank and danced a lot and even sang like crazies in our horrible voices. Hehe 😀

Day 3:

We woke up pretty early in the morning, got dressed and had our breakfast. Post that, we went to Sinquerim beach which is another one of my favourites. Its calm, peaceful and not overly crowded.

Mad fun we had here!

After spending an hour or so at Sinquerim, we got back to our hotel as we had to check out the same day.

We packed our bags and left for our next destination which was Mariott Resort & Spa, Panjim.

It is undoubtedly, one of the finest and most magnificent properties in Goa.

In the afternoon, we decided to go to Souza Lobo at Calangute beach for lunch. They serve the best food, both vegetarian and non vegetarian.

On our way back, we went to Our lady of the Immaculate Conception Church (Panjim).

Since I have visited all the churches of Goa earlier, I usually skip them when I come here but this was one church that my husband had not seen so I made a quick trip again.

In the evening, we decided to chill by the pool and enjoy the calmness around.

And then Coffee happened….

For the night, we had some serious plans. We decided to hit the casino!!!

Our choice was the floating casino Deltin Jaqk (previously known as Casino Royale). Floating because it is on a ship (on River Mandovi).

The permissible age for entry on the casino floor is 21 years and above. Dress code is formal or smart casuals; Shorts, sleeveless t-shirts, flip flops and chappals are not permitted. Photography too is prohibited inside the casino.

We played games like Russian Roulette, Casino War, Mini Flush and BlackJack and even won some good money 😀

Its really addictive I tell you.

All in all we had an amazing time onboard with food, drinks and entertainment on the house.

Day 4:

On the fourth day, we narrowed down the list of beaches and ended up going to Morjim again.

Walking on the beach with my love without worrying about anything in this world was the best feeling ever! ❤

Our last day was spent exactly the way we wanted it to be.

In the Evening, we went shopping for cashews and souvenirs, and dinner was had at the hotel itself. Also, we played at the hotel casino for a while before ending the day.

Day 5:

Today is the day we leave for New Delhi.

So we started it early, had a lavish breakfast and went to the overlooking Miramar beach.

And we clicked pictures!!!

After chilling poolside for a while, we got ready, packed our bags and left for the airport. 😦

Goa never fails to disappoint and this time it was way better than expected. This vacation was definitely the one that I needed and would remember for years to come. 😀

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this post! If you have any travel queries, feel free to get in touch.